Eight Is Enough: A Family Reunion (1987) and Eight Is Enough: A Wedding (1989)

Eight Is Enough is an American television comedy-drama series that ran on ABC from March 15, 1977, until August 29, 1981. The show was modeled on the life of syndicated newspaper columnist Thomas Braden, a real-life parent with eight children, who wrote a book by the same title.

The show centers on a Sacramento, California, family with eight children (from oldest to youngest: David, Mary, Joanie, Susan, Nancy, Elizabeth, Tommy, and Nicholas). The father, Tom Bradford, was a newspaper columnist for the fictional Sacramento Register. His wife Joan (Diana Hyland) took care of the children. Hyland was only in four episodes before falling ill; she was written out for the remainder of the first season and died five days after the second episode aired.

The second season began in the fall of 1977 with the revelation that Tom had become a widower. Tom fell in love with Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott, (Betty Buckley) a schoolteacher who came to the house to tutor Tommy who had broken his leg in a football game. They were married in one of the series' TV movie broadcasts on November 9, 1977. The role went to Buckley after being approved by network chief Brandon Tartikoff, who felt the character of the sympathetic teacher she had played in the 1976 film Carrie would also be great for the series.[1] In another TV movie event in September 1979, David and Susan were both married in a double wedding. As the series progressed, Abby got her Ph.D. in education and started a job counseling students at the local high school, oldest sister Mary became a doctor, while second-youngest son Tommy became a singer in a rock-and-roll band.

The actors' ages varied greatly from their characters. Hyland was 41 when the show began, Buckley was 29, Goodeve was 24, O'Grady was 22, Walters was older than Buckley at 30, Richardson was 25, Kay was 22, Needham was 17, Aames was 16, and Rich actually was eight.

In the pilot, the role of David was played by Mark Hamill, Nancy was played by Kimberly Beck, and Tommy played by Chris English. When ABC screened the pilot they were unhappy with a couple of performances. Beck and English were let go and replaced by Dianne Kay and Willie Aames. Hamill sought to get out of his contract on Eight Is Enough to take the opportunity to star in George Lucas' Star Wars. His request was rejected by Lorimar Productions as he had signed a five-year-contract with them. However, in December 1976 Hamill had been involved in a car crash that resulted in his needing reconstructive facial surgery. By the time ABC had greenlit the series, Hamill was still hospitalized and unavailable. They let him out of his contract and the role was re-cast with Grant Goodeve now playing David for the series.

The home featured in the exterior shots was on Chiquita St, near Lankershim Boulevard in Los Angeles. The house has since been demolished and replaced. The interiors were filmed on two separate sound stages at the studio: one for the main floor and one for the upstairs.

The show's team of producers included Robert L. Jacks, Gary Adelson, Greg Strangis, and Phil Fehrle. Executive producers were Lee Rich and Philip Capice.

As a production of the Lorimar stable, who were concurrently producing CBS's The Waltons, writers were often contracted by the producers and were shared between both programs. (Waltons costar Will Geer also made an Eight is Enough guest appearance during season 2.) Regular writers included Peter Lefcourt, the writing teams of Gwen Bagni and Paul Dubov, Rod Peterson and Claire Whittaker, Bill Nuss and Dusty Kay, Nick Thiel and David Braff, J. Miyoko Hensley and Steven Hensley, Bruce Shelly, Sandra Kay Siegel, Gil Grant, Karen I. Hall, and Hindi Brooks, who soon became the show's long-time story editor. In-house directors included Philip Leacock, Harry Harris, and Irving J. Moore. As an in-joke, the character name of one of Nicholas Bradford's best friends was Irving Julius Moore, a nod to the director of the same name whose middle name was in fact Joseph.

For the show's first two seasons, an upbeat instrumental piece written by Fred Werner was used as the show's opening theme. Beginning with the show's third season, this was replaced by a slowed-down vocal theme titled "Eight Is Enough," which was sung by series co-star Grant Goodeve. The song had music by Lee Holdridge and lyrics by Molly-Ann Leikin, and was first heard in a longer arrangement on the last episode of the second season titled "Who's on First?", which was also performed by Goodeve.

Early episodes had instrumental music by Fred Werner and the prolific Alexander Courage, but the show's real musical stamp came from veteran composer Earle Hagen, who had a knack of composing memorable cues as he had previously been the in-house composer on The Andy Griffith Show. He composed a beautiful love theme for Tom and Abby, a theme that permeated the show in various incarnations throughout the remainder of the series. Some later episodes were scored by John Beal and Miles Goodman.

In 1980 there was a writer's strike in Hollywood, and one of the offshoots of this industry problem was making cost cutting measures in the music department on the show. Some of the later episodes were tracked with a combination of uncredited library music and with some original music by those of the aforementioned Messrs. Hagen, Beal, and Goodman.

After the end of the show's fifth season (112 hour episodes), production costs and declining ratings caused the show to be canceled, along with seven other shows that season (including The Waltons). Variety's headline on the cancellation stated, "Eight Shows In, Eight Shows Out". In a 2000 episode of E! True Hollywood Story, Dick Van Patten stated that no one contacted him to inform him of the cancellation. Instead, he read about it in a newspaper.[2]

The series had two reunion movies on NBC. In An Eight Is Enough Reunion on October 18, 1987, Mary Frann replaced Betty Buckley as Abby; Buckley had been filming Frantic during its production. This was followed by An Eight Is Enough Wedding on October 22, 1989, this time with Sandy Faison as Abby. By coincidence, both movies aired opposite game two of the World Series on ABC.

Pilot episode. After 15-year-old Elizabeth is arrested for the possession of narcotics, Tom and Joan Bradford are faced with the dual problems of raising money for her defense and trying to understand why 21-year-old David Bradford moved away from home after objecting to the way they handled the drug bust.

Note: In the Pilot, David was played by Mark Hamill, Nancy was played by Kimberly Beck, and Tommy played by Chris English. When ABC picked up the show, they were recast respectively with Grant Goodeve, Dianne Kay, and Willie Aames.

002. "Schussboomer" (airdate: March 22, 1977)

Tom and Joan are reluctant to let Susan go away for an unchaperoned ski weekend.

010. "Is There a Doctor in the House?" (airdate: September 14, 1977)[7]

Season 2 premiere. Tom and the temporary single Doctor Maxwell try their luck as middle-aged swinging singles.

011. "Trial Marriage" (airdate: September 21, 1977)

Tom disapproves when his oldest daughter moves in with her new boyfriend. Enter a teacher named Sandra Sue "Abby" Abbott (Betty Buckley's first appearance), who is needed to sort all this out, and is also Tommy's tutor who wants to teach Tom a thing or two.

012. "Triangles" (airdate: September 28, 1977)

David's roommate dates both Joanie and Susan.

013. "Double Trouble" (airdate: October 5, 1977)

Problems develop when Tom and Abby break-up and he begins dating Ellen Manning, a divorcee.

014. "Mortgage Burnin' Blues" (airdate: October 19, 1977)

A party at the Bradfords' spirals out of control.

015. "Dark Horse" (airdate: October 26, 1977)

Tom and Abby decide to get married after having put aside their own problems to help Mary run for the board of education.

016. "The Bard and the Bod" (airdate: November 2, 1977)

Joanie is all excited about winning the lead in a Shakesperean production, but Tom is not.

Nancy drops out of school to get a job and finds that excitement and wealth are not part of the life of an unskilled worker.

042. "Cops and Toddlers" (airdate: October 25, 1978)

Nancy brings home a group of toddlers, and Susan goes into basic training as a police cadet.

043. "The Hipbone's Connected to the Thighbone" (airdate: November 1, 1978)

Mary is banished from the Bradford household after making her father angry.

044. "Fast and Loose" (airdate: November 8, 1978)

David struggles to cope with the loss of a close friend, and ends up being arrested for bar-room brawling.

045. "War Between the Bradfords" (airdate: November 15, 1978)

Abby's schoolboard speech on modern women in society creates a Bradford battle of the sexes.

046. "All the Vice-President's Men" (airdate: November 22, 1978)

Thanksgiving for the Bradford clan arrives in a storm of red tape when the nation's Vice-President accepts an invitation from Nicholas to visit their home for the holiday.

047. "You Won't Have Nicholas to Kick Around Anymore: Part 1" (airdate: November 29, 1978)

When Nicholas accidentally starts a fire that destroys the celebration of Tom and Abby's first anniversary, the unhappy youngster leaves home in search of a new family.

Notes: Special 2-hour episode. Jack Elam guest stars.

048. "You Won't Have Nicholas to Kick Around Anymore: Part 2" (airdate: November 29, 1978)

Note: Syndicated versions of this episode split it into two hour-long parts, cutting some scenes out.

049. "Alone at Last" (airdate: December 6, 1978)

After bundling their brood off to the mountains for a camping trip, Tom and Abby soon find their romantic weekend alone disturbed by too much peace and quiet.

050. "The Yearning Point" (airdate: January 10, 1979)

Elizabeth's dream of going to a posh Eastern school conflicts with the Bradford household budget.

051. "Moving Out: Part 1" (airdate: January 17, 1979)

When Tom gets upset about Susan's boyfriend taking a shower in the upstairs bedroom, Joannie coming in after curfew, and Nancy sunbathing topless in the backyard, the girls move out of the house into their own apartment.

Note: Special 2-hour episode.

052. "Mother's Rule: Part 2" (airdate: January 17, 1979)

Note: Syndicated versions of this episode split it into two hour-long parts, cutting some scenes out.

The mutiny by Susan, Joannie, and Nancy continues, and Abby's parents announce their marital estrangement.

054. "Horror Story" (airdate: January 31, 1979)

When a thunderstorm causes power failure, the Bradford children use their vivid imaginations to transform the old homestead into a hysterical Haunted House.

055. "Just the Ten of Us" (airdate: February 14, 1979)

When David and his girlfriend decide to live together, their decision threatens Tom's chance to win the "Father of the Year" award, along with an all-expense-paid-trip to Hawaii for the entire Bradford family.

056. "Best of Friends" (airdate: February 21, 1979)

Tommy rocks the Bradford family foundation with the shocking news of his impending marriage and fatherhood.

057. "The Kid Who Came to Dinner" (airdate: February 28, 1979)

When Nicholas Bradford discovers that his new playmate has no parents, the youngest Bradford tries to turn friendship into brotherhood.

058. "The Better Part of Valor" (airdate: March 7, 1979)

Abby finds her relationship with Tommy threatened when she returns to teaching and flunks a failed basketball star, causing Tommy peer-group problems.

059. "Dads, Daughters, Different Drummers" (airdate: March 28, 1979)

When Tom forbids Joannie to see her new boyfriend, she runs away from home to be with the handsome young writer she loves.

060. "The Final Days" (airdate: May 2, 1979)

Tom's editorial, on "Passing the torch to a younger generation", ignites a Grey Power demonstration by Sacramento's indignant senior citizens.

061. "Marriage and Other Flights of Fancy: Part 1" (airdate: May 9, 1979)[18]

David, despite the family's concern and his father's objections, teams up with an outspoken female in a cross-country quest for new beginnings.

Notes: Special 2-hour episode. This episode is also known as "The Two of Us".

062. "Marriage and Other Flights of Fancy: Part 2" (airdate: May 9, 1979)

Note: Syndicated versions of this episode split it into two hour-long parts, cutting some scenes out.

063. "The Graduates" (airdate: May 23, 1979)

Season 3 finale. Graduation is hardly what the Bradfords expected -- with Joanne upset over her future and Elizabeth suspended from her commencement exercises where her father is to be the guest speaker.

Cupid runs amok in the Bradford household during Spring Break, causing Mary to fall for a young Psychiatrist who really wants to be a Stand-Up Comic, Nancy to swoon over an Archaeologist on his way to his first dig, and Joannie to be swept away by an SAP (Self-Analysis Programmer).

Merle recruits the girls for a charity basketball team, Tom is jealous when a publisher offers to publish Abby's thesis and Tom can't get his accepted, and Nicholas gets his friend's mom a job helping with the book.

087. "A Matter of Mentors" (airdate: March 26, 1980)

Joannie gets an important assignment at work but Jeffrey believes that the boss will be expecting a favor in return. Joannie blows her chance at a big story. An experienced reporter makes her his partner and the result is an important scoop. Meanwhile, Nicholas has a problem with a bully that he can't hit back, and fed up with the way that Tom divvies up the family's discretionary funds, Tommy takes over budgeting for it.

Nicholas and his friend Marvin (John Louie) split up the loot when they come into possession of an airlines bag a mysterious woman in a blonde wig gave them to deliver to an equally mysterious red-haired woman who ran off before they could finish their mission.

Reruns of all 112 episodes of Eight is Enough have aired sporadically since the show's syndication debut in September 1982.[37] The show aired on FX in 1994, on PAX in '98, and as part of a 50th-anniversary Warner Bros. marathon on TV Land in 2005. Eight Is Enough also aired on the Chicago-based MeTV and MeToo, a sister station of MeTV, from 2008 to 2010[38][39][40] before MeTV spread to other markets around the U.S.

In Italy, RAI public networks aired the first season of Eight Is Enough under the title Otto Bastano in 1978,[41] the literal Italian translation of the original title. The remaining seasons were aired in the 1980s on Retequattro, a commercial network from Fininvest (now Mediaset), under the title La Famiglia Bradford. The Italian version excludes the laugh track.

The French version, Huit, ça suffit! was a big success in the 1980s both in France and Quebec, Canada, and among all Francophone (French-speaking) Canadians.

In Spain, Eight Is Enough was aired also in the 1980s. RTVE (public network) aired all the seasons under the title Con Ocho Basta (the Spanish translation) in Friday's evening time.

On April 17, 2012, Warner Home Video released the complete first season of Eight Is Enough on DVD in Region 1 for the very first time.[42] The release includes the pilot episode (featuring Mark Hamill in the role of eldest son David) and a cast reunion special. Several of the episodes have the wrong end credits, and the Lorimar Productions logo has also been edited out of the end credits.

On November 13, 2012, Warner Bros. released Season 2, Parts one and two on DVD-R via their Warner Archive Collection.[43] These are Manufacture-on-Demand (MOD) releases and are available through Warner's online store and Amazon.com. Season 3, Parts One and Two were released on April 30, 2013.[44]

Season 4, Parts one and two were released on August 13, 2013.[45] The fifth and final season was released on March 11, 2014.[46]